Fans in San Diego hurl baseballs and trash at Dodgers opponents, leading to the Padres securing victory.
In San Diego, they leveled their best-of-five National League Division Series standoff with LA at a match each. This achievement was fueled by six home runs, two of which were smashed by right-field diver Fernando Tatis Jr. Unfortunately, Tatis Jr., along with another Padres outfield player, encountered objects being hurled towards them during the bottom of the seventh inning, with the Padres leading 4-1 at that point.
The fans, demonstrating such behavior, launched baseballs at Padres left-fielder Jurickson Profar as he prepared in the outfield.
As discussions between the Padres manager Mike Shildt and players ensued with the umpires, the fans retaliated by throwing trash onto the outfield grass surrounding Tatis Jr. in his right field territory.
Tension eased after a brief, approximately 10-minute delay due to the situation.
Post-game, a visibly upset Profar stated to press, "You could seriously injure someone."
"You can't behave like this. It's not right," Profar said further during an ESPN interview.
Shildt denounced the fans' actions as "unacceptable," but applauded his players' resilience.
"We're going to converse with our team; we're not going to back down; we're going to heighten our performance; we're going to stick together; and we're going to tackle what needs to be done," Shildt said.
Tatis, who hit homers in the first and ninth innings, dubbed the Dodger Stadium atmosphere "wild" but acknowledged that chucking objects onto the field was inappropriate.
"I just can't see this happening in a major league game," Tatis said.
"But, on the other hand, it furnishes an electrifying baseball environment," Tatis added. "Though, I must admit people get carried away with their emotions a bit."
"At the end of the day, it's a show, and we need to enjoy every moment of it," Tatis concluded.
Shildt, the Padres' manager, anticipates improved fan conduct in San Diego as the series transitions there on Tuesday evening.
"We're about to head back to San Diego with a brilliant, rowdy, aggressive, ravenous crowd that's going to be highly enthusiastic and will dig deep," Shildt said.
"However, I have faith we'll maintain our composure, San Diego," Shildt added.
The Padres' six home runs on Sunday evening matched the Major League playoff record, first achieved by the Philadelphia Phillies last year and then the Chicago Cubs in 2015.
The incident during the bottom of the seventh inning, where fans threw objects at the Padres players, highlighted the intense passion for sport in San Diego. Despite the hostile environment, Tatis Jr. still found the atmosphere at Dodger Stadium to be electrifying.
